Yuck: An alarm system hasn't deterred vandals from twice breaking into Ridgeview Elementary School's library to ruin more than 1,400 books, smear feces, and damage computers, printers and other property.

Vandals first struck on New Year's Day, then again Saturday afternoon when they knocked books, computers and other items off shelves and flooded the library.

"We are working on drying out the library and trying to save as many books as we can," Librarian Shelley Dearmin said.

A mayor in Spain who pays children one Euro per hour to read at the local library in an attempt to keep them in school.The CBC Says Agustin Jimenez, Socialist mayor of the agricultural town of Noblejas in central Spain, is recommending the town's children be given a euro - the equivalent of $1.50 - for every hour they spend reading in the local library. The sweetener is part of a string of measures to be voted on by the Noblejas council in March.

Today's USA Today "Snapshot": Of the two thirds of youth 8 - 18 who have visited a public library or its website in the past year, most borrow items for personal use. The attached poll is "When was the last time you visited a public library or its website?" and "Within past year" is the current winner.

The Young Adult Library Services Association presented its annual Margaret A. Edwards Award to science-fiction writer Orson Scott Card last week, paying tribute to the ways in which his novel Ender's Game and its follow-up Ender's Shadow fulfill the Edwards Award mandate of "helping adolescents become aware of themselves and addressing questions about their role and importance in relationships, society, and in the world." (No mention, sadly, of Speaker for the Dead, the immediate sequel to Ender's Game.) Card's selection kicked up some controversy, however, due to his extreme views on homosexuality. As School Library Journal, which co-sponsors the award, summarizes the debate, "If a well-known author writes and speaks about gays and lesbians in a way that many interpret to be anti-gay, should he be given an award that honors his outstanding lifetime contribution to writing for teens?"

Teen author, Orson Scott Card, is the topic of much discussion as the Edwards honor bestowed by the ALA’s YALSA has brought to general attention Card’s views against tolerance for homosexuals.
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The Chicago Suburban News Just Discovered At the Batavia, Geneva and St. Charles Public Libraries, children have the freedom to check out any book, magazine, CD or DVD on the shelves — regardless of whether it was intended for an adult audience.

“Generally, we’ve taken the position that kids and parents should work together on this — that’s the healthiest approach,” Scheetz said. “Sometimes what upsets a parent may seem innocuous to us, but may not fit into that family’s values.”

The following link shows how to create a digital whiteboard using a Wii Remote (Wii is not required): Why is the Nintendo Wii better then the PS3 and Xbox 360? Quite simply, it's not just for games. The video below shows you how you can use a Wii remote (no Wii required) and turn your laptop into a digital whiteboard! This would be a perfect low cost solution to libraries and schools offering computer workshops.

Gary Price Points Out This report shows the many roles the info professional can and needs to play in an age when many think all answers are only one-click away. Btw, Google is a name grabber but this paper is more about online and web info in general.